COLUMBUS — Attorney General Marc Dann said today he will not resign after admitting to a romantic relationship with employee.

Dann said in a news conference that he takes full responsibility for the sexual harassment scandal that has embroiled his office.

Three of Dann’s top aides have been forced out of their jobs in Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann’s office in the scandal.

An internal investigation released Friday scolds Dann, saying he showed poor judgment in permitting a woman who alleged sexual harassment by an aide to his apartment for drinks.

One of the investigators says aide Anthony Gutierrez (goo-tee-AYR-ez) was fired after the review found that he violated sexual harassment policies. He was accused by two women he supervised of making unwanted come-ons and vulgar remarks.

Also fired was Dann’s communications chief Leo Jennings who is accused of trying to get a worker to lie when interviewed under oath. Investigators say Edward Simpson, Dann’s policy chief, was forced to resign for failing to address inappropriate behavior.

Dann, who is married, would not identify the employee he had a consensual affair with.

Investigators say Dann’s scheduler, 28-year-old Jessica Utovich, also resigned voluntarily. She and Dann had a close relationship in which they often used profanity, nicknames and teasing when e-mailing each other. No reason is being given for her resignation, but one of the sexual harassment reports mentioned that she had been at an apartment Dann shared with two of the fired men in her pajamas.

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